Raaka Chocolate - Ecuador 85% bar - May 15, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Raaka Chocolate
Ecuador - Aproca Co-op, 85% bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .5 oz. (14.1 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 75 calories (estimate) in 1/4 bar
Cost: $7.98 for 1 bar
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

Today was Day #3 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

This dark bar from bean-to-bar chocolate maker Raaka Chocolate (Brooklyn, NY), was made from unroasted cacao beans, from the Aproca Co-op in Ecuador.

The bar had a nice sheen; a dark and earthy flavor; and a relatively flat flavor arc, without the boost you might get from a chocolate bar with a sugar or fruit sparkle.

This 85% dark bar was constructed with a higher percentage of cacao solids and, as a result, less sugar. Some will like the lack of sweetness; but there can be trade-offs with bars this dark -- like fewer light fruit, citrus or floral notes. "Brighter" flavors often are present in bars with a lower cacao percentage (e.g. 70% cacao), and a relatively high(er) percentage of sugar.

Tasting notes on the bar's wrapper read: almonds, molasses (and nutty).

This Raaka Chocolate bar was vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free.

Cello Chocolate - Ecuador bar - May 14, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Cello Chocolate
Ecuador 70% cacao bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.2 oz. (34 g.) / 2 oz. (57 g.) in 1 bar
Calories: 180 calories (estimate) in 3/5 bar
Cost: $5.00 (+ shipping)
Purchased from: Cello Chocolate, online order

Today was Day #2 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

This 70% dark chocolate, single origin Ecuador bar from Cello Chocolate (Nevada City, CA), had a wonderful and, yes, musical tasting arc, with great floral, marshmallow notes -- that were well balanced with bold and smooth fruit/acid flavor.

The Ecuador bar (part of a line of single origin bars from different cacao-growing countries from Cello Chocolate) was made with "sustainably traded and certified organic cocoa beans."

Agami Superfoods - Raw Maya bar - May 13, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Agami Superfoods
Raw Maya Chocolate - Single Origin Ecuadorian
Good
Weight: .75 oz. (21.5 g.) / 1.5 oz. (143 g.) in total bar
Calories: 112.5 calories in 1/2 bar
Cost: $5.49 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, Palo Alto, CA

Welcome to Day #1 of Chocolate and Ecuador Theme Week.

This 77% Dark and 100% Raw Maya Chocolate bar from Agami LLC (aka Agami Superfoods) (Boise, ID) had interesting complex flavors and texture. A true single origin bar, both the cocoa mass and the cocoa butter were from Ecuadorian cacao.

I tasted earth, mushroom, tobacco, and caraway notes. The texture of the bar was a little soft side of a hard snap, which was fine. The texture was smooth. Some bites were slightly more "buttery" than others -- likely from the Raw, Organic, Single Origin, Ecuadorian, Arriba Nacional Cacao Butter and/or the Raw Organic Coconut Butter in this chocolate.

Trader Joe's - Peru bar - May 12, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Trader Joe's
Peru 60% Dark Chocolate bar
Good - Good +
Weight: .318 oz. (9 g.) / 1.59 oz. (45 g.) total bar (part of a larger package of 8 bars)
Calories: 46 calories in 1/5 bar
Cost: $N/A - part of previous tasting
Purchased from: Trader Joe's (by someone else)

How many ingredients can be combined together without the overall flavor getting muddied up (the artist's equivalent of mixing every paint color together and getting a "palette grey")? Well, the answer is it depends on the ingredients, and how well balanced they are. For example, a good sauce or soup might contain the essence of many things.

Today's miniature dessert was composed of a small vanilla scoop of ice cream, with a dollop of dark chocolate fig and orange sauce, topped with crunchy green pistachio nuts.

The chocolate was a piece of a Trader Joe's (Monrovia, CA) Peru 60% Dark Chocolate bar, melted with fig and orange. The resulting chocolate and fig sundae was a blend of sweet, smoky, floral, citrus, fruity -- light, bright and dark -- flavors. I savored every tiny bite.

Today was the last day of Chocolate and Fig Theme Week. 

Hedonist - Dipped Figs - May 11, 2014

Chocolate of the Day:

Hedonist Artisan Chocolates
Dipped Figs
Good++ - Very Good
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 g.) / 5 oz. (141.5 g.) total package
Calories: 160 calories (estimate) for 2 pieces
Cost: $10.00 (plus shipping)
Purchased from: Hedonist Chocolates (online order)

A very happy Mother's Day to all. I was very happy to celebrate this occasion with these Dipped Figs from Hedonist Artisan Chocolates (Rochester, NY).

Made with figs from Bella Viva Orchards in California that were swaddled in bittersweet dark (72% cacao) chocolate, each bite delivered a symphony of rich flavors - dried fig, floral, caramel, coffee and vanilla notes, and dark chocolate of course.

This rustic dark chocolate fig beauty, and others like it this week, are why I plan and look forward to at least one Chocolate and Fig Theme Week each year.

Today was Day #6 of Chocolate and Fig Theme Week. Already sorry I only have one day left. 

Dick Taylor - Black Fig 72% Madagascar bar - May 10, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Dick Taylor Craft Chocolate
Black Fig 72% Madagascar bar
Good ++ - Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 g.) / 2 oz. (56.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: The Chocolate Garage, Palo Alto, CA

Today was Day #5 of Chocolate and Fig Theme Week.

Previously, in 2012, I featured a black fig bar from this same craft chocolate maker, Dick Taylor (Arcata, CA); however, that 70% dark bar was made with cacao beans from Ecuador (vs. Madagascar).

Since I've set out to eat a different chocolate each day, what follows is my justification for counting today's Black Fig bar as a "different" chocolate. With small batch, bean-to-bar chocolate-makers, like Dick Taylor, one year's batch of chocolate from one origin can't really be compared with another single origin bar the following year -- anymore than you could compare a 2012 California Chardonnay to a 2013 New Zealand Pinot Blanc. Too many factors vary from year to year (weather, fermentation conditions, to name a few); and different grapes, or in this case cacao beans, grown in different soils/countries yield different flavor profiles.

I liked the previous Black Fig Ecuador 70% bar. So, it was with interest that I took my first nibble of today's Dick Taylor (batch # 13270) Black Fig 72% Madagascar bar. Sadly, the Black Fig 70% Ecuador bar was long gone, so a side-by-side comparison was impossible. However, I rated the two Dick Taylor Black Fig bars similarly -- the first was a Good + - Very Good and this one I gave a similar rating of Good ++ - Very Good.

The elegant lattice pattern stamped, three-ingredient bar (organic cacao, organic cane sugar and organic Black Mission figs) had a rich, dark fruit flavor with balanced acidity. Rather than bright red fruit notes found in some Madagascar bars, this one had a ripe dark, (earthier) dried fruit note from the fig. The flavorful bar, with a surprisingly buttery mouthfeel, was great by itself, or with a handful of fresh raspberries to brighten up and/or complement the dried fig.

rawmio - hazelnut and fig raw chocolate - May 9, 2014

Chocolate of the Day: 

Windy City Organics, LLC
rawmio
Organic Gourmet Hazelnut and Fig Raw Chocolate Bark
Good - Good +
Weight: 2.2 oz. (62 g.) in total package
Calories: 268 calories in 1 package
Cost: $6.95 (estimate) for 1 package
Purchased from: Abe's Market (online order)

Today was Day #4 of Chocolate and Fig Theme Week.

Raw chocolate bars lack some of the stronger roasted and acidic flavor notes that some dark chocolates have, but they often make up for that in terms of smoothness. Flavor additions (added ingredients) can also boost the flavor profile as in today's bar (bark).

This vegan rawmio Hazelnut and Fig Raw Chocolate Bark from Windy City Organics, LLC (Northbrook, IL) had subtle dark flavor. And organic, sprouted hazelnut pieces and a peppering of crunchy cacao nibs added contrast and texture to the stoneground chocolate. The few sliced bits of organic black mission fig I detected added a hint of acidic, dried fruit, and a little extra pizazz.